Sidi Mohammed ibn al-
Mishri, may Allah be pleased with
him, said in his Book, “Rawd-u
al-Mu’hibb al-Fani fi-ma
Talaqqaynahu min Shaykhina Abil
Abbas Tijani” (The Garden of the Annihilated Lover in What We
Have Received from Our Master
Abil Abbas Tijani): “The Shaykh, may Allah be
pleased with him, told me on the
last Tuesday of the Month of
Allah Safar in the year 1252: ‘ Warn my Companions not to borrow any money from
me nor ask me something
among the goods of the
material world (dunya). For,
verily, asking the material
world from the Shaykh is one of the main reasons of
cutting the disciple from
him.’ (…) And I have heard him, may
Allah be pleased with him, saying
two years prior: ‘Whoever from among my
Companions has asked the
material world from me, the
material world would be his
only fortune with me
(dhalika ‘hadduhu minni)!!’ I would add that what is hidden
in this statement is that he will
not be able to benefit from the
Secrets of the Shaykh (Asrar
Shaykh) and he will not attain
from him any sainthood (wilaya), particularity (khasiya), or a
secret (Sirr) in this life. And Allah
know best. (…) Then he said, may Allah be
pleased with him: ‘ My material world upon my Companions is like
poison. Whoever has taken
it [from me] and he does
not need it, he will suffer
harm faster than poison
spreads [through the body].’ And it came to pass that I myself
went to most of the Companions
of the Shaykh to tell this news.
Some of them said, ‘We heard
and obeyed.’ So they rose to
their feet and fled from the material world of their teacher.
Other said, by the tongue of
their states, ‘We heard and
disobeyed.’ So they continued
to seek [the material world]
even without permission. I ask Allah not to call us and them to
account of whatever sins and
acts of disobedience against our
Master we have committed.
Amen. I have mentioned this
subject under this section because it is from among the
most important conditions of
discipleship; so that whoever
might suffer suffers with
evidence, and whoever might
benefit benefits with evidence. And I beseech Allah to give us
success in whatever might
benefit us. Amen.”
Translation Via brother Abdulmujib Attijjeniy Usman
